"Holy crap, a MIG 55D! I never thought I'd be able to see one of these so up close, let alone ride one! I'm so lucky to have such good friends like you, Ikari, Akashi!"
"I'm sure," I said, a little exasperated by this point by his antics. I would be more enthusiastic about war machines if I hadn't already seen and ridden an Eva. The impact of just seeing the biomechanical titan move made it hard to not regard anything else as the vehicle equivalent of white noise.
Then again, it's not like anything shares importance with Eva.
"Yeah, thanks so much for giving us this opportunity to be with you Misato!...Oh and you guys too," Toji added.
Shinji, who'd remained neutral up until now, put up a face halfway between confusion and revulsion. I was just inclined to roll my eyes.
Smooth. Real smooth man.
"Nah, I really oughta thank you kids for going along with me on this little date," Misato replied from the pilot's cockpit.
"What? You mean this is a date?" Toji sounded much like he'd been dying to hear those words. Which he likely had. "Oh man, Misato. You know I bought this hat especially for this occasion, just for you."
I couldn't ignore Toji moving the article of clothing about as if it was a big deal, nor could I ignore his big mouth, but I kept silent. Talking during a trip, whether by car as I'd been used to, or now by aircraft, didn't really come naturally to me. I just kept quiet and focused on my thoughts and surroundings for the duration of the journey.
"Say Misato, where are going anyway?" Shinji decided to ask.
"Oh just taking a little field trip across the Pacific on that gorgeous cruiser down there," she said pointing down.
As if on queue, the clouds parted as the aircraft dipped underneath, revealing the UN Pacific Fleet in all it's glory. And down there, was both the Second Child piloting Unit 02, as well as my own Eva.
I gulped. My own Eva.
"Wow! What a fleet! Five aircraft carriers and four battleships! Having friends with benefits is the best thing in the world!" Kensuke snapped me out of my thoughts, not realizing what he'd said.
I snorted. Misato did the same though in a rare moment bit her tongue. Shinji just stood perplexed, while I doubt Toji even heard.
"That's the "gorgeous cruiser"? You're kidding right?"
"Oh she's gorgeous alright! That's the pride of the UN Pacific Fleet, the Over the Rainbow!" Kensuke had to say.
"Hmm, I'm surprised a relic like that is still afloat."
While I could've left Kensuke rebuke Misato in that assessment, I chose instead to finally chime into the conversation to confirm something that was almost certainly the case but would've been better answered by the people in this universe themselves.
"That used to be the USS Ronald Reagan right?"
"Yup," Misato answered simply. Kensuke for once was intent to just listen. Maybe the information hadn't reached civilians? The aircraft carrier's existence wasn't exactly secretive information as far as I knew, considering the creative crew put it in the show at all, but then again I didn't know a lot.
"Why did they change it's name then?"
"Well mostly because having the leading ship of a joined international fleet named after an American president would rub some people the wrong way," she scoffed. "Politicians and bureaucrats, honestly."
She cleared her throat as she responded next.
"Officially, she was renamed in order to represent a new beginning for the UN International Fleet as well as the Pacific Fleet after the Second Impact wars that caused the mass militarization of the UN in the first place. A bunch of sentimental stuff really, but it's better than the real reason at least."
I nodded, never having thought of that before. It was fascinating just looking at the little details behind the world like this, things you'd never get to hear in the show itself purely due to time constraints.
"So cool!"
And of course Kensuke had to top it off with that. Brilliant.
"Ah halo Misato. It's been so long!"
"Hello Asuka. I see you've grown since we last saw each-other."
Red hair, blue eyes, yellow dress, crushed hat underfoot. Hello Asuka Langley Soryu.
Aw fuck. She's cute too.
As I was quietly fighting against my hormones, Misato took the incentive to introduce us to the latest member of our not-so merry band of misfits.
"This is Asuka Langley Soryu, the Second Child and pilot of Evangelion Unit 02," Misato said curtly.
Asuka looked ready to flip her hair dramatically in the roiling wind, only for Toji to finally slip his hat free of her heel, causing her to lose balance.
Ah...so that's how that scene happens this time.
I nearly instinctively turned my body staring at an opposite point to the now accidentally-flashing-us German, and heard the telltale dry crack of three lightning-fast slaps echoing throughout the carrier's deck. Wait, there's military jets and personnel all around, shouldn't it be louder than this?
"What the Hell lady?!" Toji exclaimed. I turned around to see my fellow Stooges covered in the marks of the soon-to-be called Red Devil.
"That's the price of peeping, as well as making me fall down in the first place," Asuka explained calmly, though with contempt painted clearly on her face. I was more than a little worried when she turned to me. "And how come you turned away exactly at the right time?"
"...Man's intuition?" I said with a sheepish smile.
"Hmpf."
Luckily I was saved by the seething exceedingly immature one of our little quartet.
"How about I make us even then you bitch, rent free!" he said, dropping his pants, as I turned my face again to avoid the sight for a completely different reason.
Way to escalate buddy.
"What the Hell do you think you're doing, y-you absolute pig?!"
Several slaps later, Asuka was finally willing to get close to us but still kept up her stink eye towards Toji. To be fair, I would too if a boy had just flashed me his genitals.
"So who's the prodigal Third Child?" she asked nonchalantly, before turning her head slightly to look at Toji with the same mildly disgusted look. "Ah, nein. Please don't tell me it's him."
Misato had a light smile on her face as she directed her hands to the kid next to her.
"This is the pilot of Unit 01, the Third Child, Shinji Ikari," and then she pointed at me. "And that's the Fourth Child, Kano Akashi."
Asuka approached Shinji and gave him a once-over. Her expression spoke vastly of how much she cared.
"Hmm, not much to look at, is he?" she said, and moved on before Shinji even had a chance to look insulted. She ended up getting a bit too close to me for my own comfort. "Still, at least someone here knows to keep their eyes to themselves. Right Fourth?"
"Right," I replied robotically. Misato just giggled and showed us towards the bridge.
"How's it going everyone?" the sly triple agent greeted us all.
"W-wha-what?!"
"Mister Kaji, may you please stop inviting yourself onto my bridge?!"
I spent the trip down to the dining room thinking about my situation. The element of Asuka had finally been introduced into the mix to complete the trio of pilots that I'd have to establish at least some base connection with.
I really saw her as a reflection of Rei in some ways, which I'm sure she wouldn't have appreciated if she knew who Rei was by this point. While Rei simply did not know how to open up to anyone about how she felt, or really even tell what she was feeling at all, Asuka knew exactly what she wanted. What she needed. But she could never bring herself to commit fully to revealing that to anyone.
One fled behind a facade of invincibility and anger, the other simply did as she had always done and remained impartial, never involved. Shinji was messed up in much the same way as either of them, but at least you could talk to him normally. Getting either of them to open up was going to be a chore, but then again, it's not like I expected anything else from this universe.
Then there was the issue of Unit 05. I knew it was here, as referred by the annoying ass admiral, what with him using plural for "children's toy" this time.
Yeah asshole, I'd like to see your ship tank a nuclear warhead to the face. Or end all of humanity and dissolve them into primordial goop.
Ignoring that for now, I still knew next to nothing about the Unit. Not it's appearance, it's temperament, whether it was even a Production Model...
I sighed. Shinji was right: they really told you absolutely nothing around here.
"What are you doing there?!"
I refocused my vision to find a very annoyed Asuka spilling out from the elevator across from mine, along with everyone else in our little group.
"I waited back and took the next one," I said, pointing to the closing doors behind me as I stepped out.
"Oh and left us all suffocate in one, eh?!"
"Not my fault you didn't check around. Also I'm just under 1.8 meters, and 75 kilos. You want an extra body that big to add to the pile?" I said, nodding towards the elevator they'd just come out of.
Asuka tried to reply, though was swept up by Misato moving in front of her, clearly annoyed as Kaji followed casually behind.
"Have you been seeing anyone?"
"As if any of THAT is your business."
"I'm hurt."
Just kiss already.
It was not exactly difficult to ignore the proceedings that led to the dining room. Kaji teased, likely using some factoid from their past, Misato replied bitingly, the kids responded in various stages of shock, I remained mostly indifferent. The food was a nice distraction from it all.
Though for all the sexual tension in the air, it was...well not nice, but at least a fun little excursion in comparison to what was to come for these people.
"So, I understand that you're currently living with Katsuragi?" the triple agent looked at us. I finished chewing just as Shinji answered for both of us.
"I see. Tell me. Is she still so...wild in bed?"
Even with expecting that to come, I still couldn't stifle my laughter at the absolutely maddened reactions of everyone sans Shinji and the perpetrator himself. Misato was too busy being incredulous to glare back at me as she spilled coffee all over the table.
"JUST WHAT THE HELL IS THAT SUPPOSED TO MEAN?!"
"No...she hasn't changed at all, has she Shinji? Kano?" Kaji replied coolly, seemingly not even minding the deflating major by his side.
"Doesn't seem like it," I commented.
"Wait, how do you know our names already?" Shinji asked.
"Oh, well, word gets around. You two are quite known in the defense business. The famous Third Child, riding an Eva and defeating an Angel the very first time he stepped into an Entry Plug. And of course, the Fourth Child, who managed to tame that beast of a Prototype and ride it into battle," he said, rather enthusiastically.
Yeah, and contributed almost nothing to said battle.
Sometime during that I also noticed the way Asuka's expression shifted from slackjawed shock at the earlier comment to the annoyance and jealousy she was known for.
"I was just lucky," Shinji responded, scratching his head.
"Luck's a part of your destiny then. Call it a talent," Kaji then got up from his seat while stretching lightly. "Well, would you look at the time. I have to go. Kids, captain."
He nodded curtly to us and left, leaving an inspired Shinji, a grumpy Asuka, a dying Misato and a thoughtful me behind.
"It's...red."
"That definitely is a color," I said, as I sipped a can of Pepsi.
"That's not all that's different about my Unit 02," Asuka boasted from on high, seemingly completely ignoring me. How could we hear her over the engines and the waves of the ocean again? "My Unit 02 is the pinnacle of Evangelion technology, the very first real Eva!"
"What about Units 00 and 01?" I asked nonchalantly.
As expected, that somewhat soured her expression, though I don't think having her pride and joy in display would make it easy to upset her by any means. She quickly regained her smile, and added bombastically:
"Of course, those are the Prototype and Test Type respectively. The fact that the later could sync so well with an untrained pilot is proof of that. Unit 02 meanwhile is a Production Model, an Eva truly designed for combat!"
I just found myself nodding along to her boasts. Something else was occupying my thoughts at the moment.
My very own Eva was right here. Or well, on the cargo hauler right next to us. The name Olethros was displayed on it's side, as opposed to the vessel carrying Unit 02, the Othello.
I couldn't help but wonder what personality I would have to deal with. Rei I was something, but Kano's dead mother? I had no idea where to begin to tackle that one.
Of course, I could get the easy way out, that is to say, a Production Model like Asuka's which barely responded to the emotional stimuli of the pilot. But somehow, I doubted it was going to be that simple.
"Heeeeey!" a voice suddenly rang out too close to my ear, startling me. "Earth to Fourth! Are you even listening?"
"Sorry," I noticed she's slid down from the Eva's chest and was now standing next to us. "Just thinking is all."
"About what?"
"Well...my own Eva is here."
"Oh right. That one," she said, expression a mixture of condescending and thoughtfulness.
"I really don't like the way you say that."
Her eyebrow raised as she looked at me funny.
"Do you not know anything about your own Evangelion?"
"Uh, not really. They don't tell us anything around these parts. Right Shinji?"
The man himself seemed to have gone into a zoned out phase much like myself, staring at the ocean through the break in Unit 02's covers, before being jolted back.
"Oh yeah right."
An awkward silence ensued, at which point Asuka seemed to be debating with herself whether to call us idiots, most probably. Then a grin made her way to her face as she grabbed our arms. For a girl her size, she had surprising strength behind every step.
After a bit of winning, she finally decided to explain herself, though her pace did not slow down a bit.
"Why, aren't you curious to see your own Evangelion, Fourth?"
"Not particularly," I replied. "I sorta can't do anything until we get back to shore and Doctor Akagi prepares an activation test."
"Well, I don't have anything better to do, so we're going," she said with finality that neither of us could do anything more than groan at.
"Huh."
That was the only word that could leave my mouth at the immense sight before me. Somehow the notion that I would have to actually move this thing around for the purpose of killing other gigantic creatures sunk in for a second time then.
The Eva was an amalgamation, that much was clear. A head almost entirely identical to the Rebuild Provisional Unit 05 adorned it's top, turned to the side much like Unit 02's was, yet it didn't have the centaur-like body. It's torso bore a series of interlocking plates standard for the Production Models, and in general it looked largely unchanged from that design.
The one thing that broke that were what seemed to be blackened, reinforced areas of armor plating on it's forearms and shins, presenting also the only deviation from the color palette of the Rebuild movies: primarily olive green throughout with a grey head and torso, along with splotches of yellow and orange, with it's boots a darker shade of blue-green.
The thing's visor was dimmed, obviously, though through it, like with all Evas, it was almost like I could feel the soul of the vast being gazing down on me with contempt. It wasn't something I got used to, and at this point I didn't think I ever would.
"Yeah, it's okay I guess."
I turned my head to greet the redhead by my side:
"Is that all you can say?" I said, incredulous. Of all the way I could summarize an Eva, "okay I guess" would never be one of them.
"Well, you and the Third certainly aren't providing much commentary," she said, as she kept gazing at the prone giant with a neutral expression, before scoffing. "Since you know so little, let me teach you: this is the slightly more stable equivalent of Unit 01 for the new generation of Evas."
Uh oh.
"The what?"
Asuka sighed the way one sighs when explaining something vaguely complicated to a child.
"It's official name is the Next Generation Type Evangelion Unit 05. It's based on a Production Model "chassis", but it's supposed to have increased AT Field projecting capabilities. That's what the things on it's arms and legs are supposed to be anyway," she said nonchalantly, waving her hand. "Of course, all that means is probably a whole new set of bugs and kinks until they smooth them out in the next batch."
I decided to take a seat on the deck just to process the information.
Not only would I have to pilot an Eva I know nothing about, I'd have to pilot an Eva that could very well be on part with Unit 01 in terms of instability, sans probably the care Yui had for Shinji. Whoever's soul was entombed in that thing, I doubted it would be very receptive to a presence who'd somehow magically taken over her son's body and was using it as a pawn.
"I know it's horrifying Fourth. Unfortunately your dreams of riding an Eva as impeccable as mine have been dashed," Asuka replied with condescending smirk, hands on her hips.
"Please shut up."
"Hmpf."
"Uh guys."
We turned our head to the one member of the makeshift trio who hadn't spoken a word since we'd boarded the Olethros.
"Do you see that?" he asked simply, as he turned to the sea and pointed.
Asuka was the first on the case, walking over to him to scour the water for herself. Her interest was surprising, though eventually I did end up joining them both to avoid thinking of the massive thing in front of me.
Initially, I agreed with Asuka's complaints that there really was nothing there despite Shinji's insistence. Though after a while all three of us fell silent as we caught sight of it.
Something was moving in and out of the water, reflecting sunlight the same way a mirror did if it caught you right in the eyes, yet the effect was enormous by comparison, despite the distance. It was a wonder how we'd missed it in the first place. But then that still left many questions unanswered.
"Wha-"
Any words that came after that were inevitably lost in the blast of holy light that erupted right in front of us. The shockwave took just a split second longer to arrive in comparison with the light, and it felt like the ship would roll over itself until it sank to the bottom of the ocean.
At the epicenter of it all, had been the Othello and on it, Unit 02. The former was almost certainly blown to bits, the later in the best case scenario was sinking to the bottom of the ocean by now.
I blinked, trying to clear away the light spots that were overtaking my vision from staring at the now cross-shaped eruption for too long. I turned my head to shield them, and as I did, I saw Asuka in absolute slackjawed horror.
Please, God no.